Faith and Willow are riding back to Sunnydale. It is late in the evening. Then they see a lightening storm. "What was that?" Faith asked to nobody. "I don't know, let's check it out."
They see a man lying on the ground with a man sitting next to him.
They also notice a sword lying on the ground next to him.
They looked surprised, especially when Willow noticed a head separated from its body and Faith sees the body without its head. "Willow look, he has lost its head."
"Yeah, I noticed it lying over there" Willow pointed at the direction of the head.
"what the hell has happened?" Faith asked. Then the man who was sitting stands up and sees them.
"What have you done?" Willow screamed at him. "You killed him."
The man picked up his sword and walked over to them. Faith stepped forward and kicked out his sword with ease. Them dodge a second blow by her feet, but is kicked to the ground by Willow. Faith put her feet on his chest. "We want some answers, right now."
The man looked up at them, confused. "Uuuh, kicked by two beautiful women, now that is not happening everyday. The lost time that happened ..." Flashback to his first meeting with Xena and Gabrielle.
"Hey, we asked you a question," Willow yelled at him, snapping him back to reality with a kick.
Her eyes flashed dark for a short time. The man looked scared.
"Uh, that is a long story." he said defensively.
"We have the time," Faith said, putting his own sword against his neck. The man flinched a little when he felt the cold of sword against the flesh of his neck.
"Well, it depends on what you know about immortals."
"We know some immortal types, like vampires and ... the Mayor," Faith said.
"Vampires? You know vampires. And which Mayor?"
"Yeah," Willow confirmed, "we know all about vampires and it is the Mayor of Sunnydale, but he is dead now." "Mayor of Sunnydale?" he asked suppresing another flashback. "He is dead? Well that is good news." "You guys are from Sunnydale?"
"Yeah, we work for the Buffy the Vampire Slayer and she over there is a Slayer too." Willow pointed at Faith. The man looked at her and she nodded. his eyes grew large. "You are Slayer? And are telling me there is more then one Slayer? They are supposed to be unique."
"Well, that is a story too." Willow pointed out. "But that is for another time. First tell me why you decapitated that man." A make it a good answer.
"Well, uh, he was evil. An evil immortal." "I kill evil too, you know?" He said, hoping to earn some credit.
'What is an immortal?" Faith asked, suspicious and threatening with the sword, let it leave a small line of blood.
The man told them the basics about immortals and the game. After that they tied him up, and put him in back of the car.
"Buffy will decide what to do with him," Willow said.
Late in the evening they arrive. The gang was there when they explained the situation and the concept of his immortality.
Spike looked at the man and seemed to remember him. "Are you not Dr. Adams?"
The man looked at him and after a short flashback "Well yes, aren't you William the Bloody?" "Yeah, I was," Spike said. "Now I liked too be called Spike."
"Adam Pierson. That is my name now," he returned.
"Did you say Spike? Spike the vampire, member of the Vampire clan who terrorized half Europe?"
Spike nodded. "But I am good now. You see, I have a soul."
Buffy looked at Spike, " you know him?" she asked. "Yeah, he was a doctor back then. And a writer. He was member of this writers club." "The writer of Frankenstein was member too," Adam added. They all looked surprised.
Adam looked at Buffy. "Tell me, how is it possible that there are two Slayers?"
"There was this code that I would die in the Master's Lair." she tried to explain.
"Codex," Giles interrupted.
"Master's Lair? Codex." he looked more confused then ever. "You should be dead then. No one can survive something in the Codex. The Codex never lies. There is nothing in it that does not come to pass."
"At first I tried to refuse my job as a Slayer. But I still went... alone. And died." Buffy looked at Xander.
'But someone here refused to let me die."
Adam followed her face and looked at the boy.
"He dragged Angel with him to direct him into the master's lair and saved me by using CPR."
Adam eyes grew. "You talked the most dangerous Vampire into the lair of the master to try to save Buffy's live, which should have been impossible?" he asked. "Do you have a death wish?"
Xander looked at him. "I am not going to let her die." He said with a straight face.
"Slayers alway's die very young. Why? It is not necessary.
That will not happen as long as I live." he stated.
Every potential looked at him in surprise. They always wonder what he was doing here. He has no power and is just a normal guy. Buffy looked at him a little more gratefull then usual. Faith looked at her feet, al little ashamed.
<Hey, a contender for the Boyscout award.> Methos thought.
"Well spoken, Xander" a British accent said.
Adam looked at him. "Rupert? Is it you? You are still alive?"
Giles looked at him too. "I remember you too. You where this guy, a grad. student, who tried to stop us from going to raise demons."
"Yes, I am. Who stopped the demon," he said pointing at Buffy, Willow and Xander who where standing next to each other. "But I have returned to the good now."
Adam looked at him. Then nodded. "That is a good thing. You are a Watcher now?
Giles nodded.
The watcher of Buffy the Vampire Slayer? I must say, that is quite an accomplishment."
He looked at Buffy, "You and your friends are famous in the underworld and in the demon fighting world. I have heard a lot of stories."
Buffy smiled a little, for the first time. Willow and Xander had a huge smile.
"You mentioned Angel.' Adam asked. "Where is he and how did he turn to the good side?"
"He has his soul back thanks to Willow and has now an investigation bureau in Los Angeles together with Cordy." Buffy explained.
"Yeah, " Willow said, "and Cordy is also on redemption."
"Oh, and who is she and what did she do?" Adam asked.
"She was the number one Queen Bitch!" Willow practically yelled.
"She was Xander's former girlfriend too," Buffy added. "But she has done a lot of good since she dated Xander." Adam nodded. "Aah, love..." he stated. "and with a boyscout too. That explains."
"MacLeod could learn from you."
"So, the terrible Angel has a soul. I do remember that he use to be quite evil. That must hurt him now."
"Yes," Giles said "I hope so. He killed my Jenny and he tortured me." Buffy looked hurt a him, but Giles ignored it.
"Jenny? She was your partner? Who was she and why did he kill her?" he asked with a little sympathy in his eyes looking at Giles.
"Jenny was the school computer teacher and she was a Wicca Witch from the Gypsy Clan who ensouled Angel the first time. Angel lost his soul again and went on a rampage tour." Giles continued.
"How did he lost his soul."
The scoobies looked Buffy. "Hey, I didn't know. And he hurt me too." "He tried." Willow said. "By killing and tortutering your friends first, Buffy."
"It looks like he failed, except for Jenny." Adam said. "Gypsy Clan, huh. Oooh, they know about torture," he nodded to himself. "And a Wicca Witch too."
"Angel made the right choice not to kill you, Giles instead of Jenny." He continued.
"Why didn't he killed you all?" A little pause fell.
"Well, he tried with me." Xander said. "But Dru came to the rescue." Everybody stared at him. Spike the most. "Dru saved you from Angelus?" "It is a long story which I am not going to tell you."
The room was quiet for a moment. Then Willow broke the silence.
"I only don't understand why he didn't try to kill us when where lying in the hospital with fever, Buffy."
"I don't understand either. Angelus is not the honour type of guy." Buffy said.
Xander went a little shy, but recovered quickly. Only Adam noticed. "Hmmm. I think I know how." He said looking at Xander. Then the other looked at him as well. He went nervous again. "Xander." Buffy said. She was confused. He and Angel where never the best buds.
He lied to me so I could send Angel to hell and save the world. This could explain his distrust to Angel.
"What happened." She asked.
Xander made gesture, waving his hand and had his goofy smile on. "I didn't do anything..."
"You are holding back, Xander. I need to know." Buffy demanded "Well, he came. We had a little conversation and he left." Xander said, with his face still a little nervous.
"What conversation?" Buffy asked. "I told him that with all the security guards he could make a change, but that it was better that he left. He left." Everybody stared at him again.
Buffy thought about it. He hold back Angelus for me. Never told about it. I am going to ask Angel about it. "Ok. I know enough." She paused. Then smiled at him. "Thank you Xander..."
"And never do anything so stupid again. It get you killed."
"Everything for the slayer." he mumbled. Only Buffy, Spike and Faith could hear. Faith smiled.
"Oooh. Bloody hell." Spike said.
"He is even worst then MacLeod." Adam said. "I thougth that was impossible."
Then he looked Anya. He stared at her. Anya went a litle nervous.
"Aren't you a vengeance demon. Anya the vengeance demon?" Anya looked nervous.
Xander walked between them and held an defensive position. "Former Vengeance demon," he said.
Adam looked in his face.
"Oh, on redemption as well." he said.
Buffy looked at Anya. "You know him as well?"
"Well, Anya had this nice curse put on me." he said with some pain on his face.
"Well I never came to the thousand hot pokes in your guts. I was forced to stop with 545. And you deserved it," she said.
"I tried it also with Xander. But he got away with it and deserved it even more. He left me at the altar for our wedding."
Adam looked at Xander. "Are you suicidal?"
"Uuuh, well..." he stumbled. "But I did bring her back to the good side." A little pause felt. Then Anya spoke.
"Besides, Willow here was much more evil then me. She tried to kill the whole world."
Adam looked at her, confused. "How?"
"Well, uuh, massive dose of Black Magic and temple on Kingman's Bluffwill do the trick." she said.
"But Xander brought me back as well. And I am good now too."
"How?" Adam asked. "Someone endowed with black magic. It is almost impossible to come back from that."
"He asked me to kill him first." Willow said. "I tried, but I couldn't." Adam looked at Xander. Eyes wide. "Aaah. I understand." He paused.
"You are suicidal!" he simply stated. "I have to tell Mac this. He will see my point at last."
Faith looked at Buffy. "Looks like I am one of good guys here."
Buffy nodded. "And I am not the biggest bitch around here. Even with Cordy gone."
Adam looked at Faith. "What did you do?"
"Oh, not so much. I only killed a couple of guy's. Beat the hell out of others. But they where all scum. And I teamed up with Mayor."
Adam's eyes grew bigger. "You teamed up with the Mayor?"
"Well yes, but I have had a terrible youth. And I didn't trust anybody, especially not teenage horny guys."
Adam looked at her and then at Xander. "I guess you brought her back as well?"
"Well he tried. " she said with sorrowfull eyes directed at Xander. "But me as evil rogue Slayer he had not much change. So I tried to choke him."
Adam looked at Xander. He felt scared by the dark slayer radiation she has over her.
"Evil rogue Slayer this time, huh." It was no question anymore.
Xander shrugged.
Then Adam looked at Faith again.
"You tried to choke him?" Adam asked, with big eyes.
"Well, it was part of the kinky sex." She looked at feet again. She mumbled something nobody could hear. This was though for her.
Then she looked at Xander again. "Angel brought me back.
But, your part was very important too, Xander. I will never forget what you did for me.
You saved my live... Twice."
She paused.
"This stupid wheesel of a Wesley blew it. But I got back." She grinned evily again. "Yeah, the five methods of torture."
Willow looked at her, the only one not so frightened. "He had a woman chained in a closet for three months, so he deserved it." They all looked sickened.
"But it is still nothing by flaying someone alive," Willow stated.
"I think I'm gonna be sick again." Xander mumbled.
Ignoring Xander, Spike interrups "Ha, you know why I am called Spike? I have tortured many by using a railroad spike. "Slowly putting a Spike into ones guts. Then turn it slo..."
"Well, huh, I have used much more painfull torture than all of you, " Anya stated. "You have know idea, what scorned women can come up with and what magic can do."
Every man in the room flinched at that.
Faith: "I am really a good guy here!"
Buffy: "Yeah, and sometimes I think I am a bitch."
Giles: "My nickname of the Ripper is nothing over here. Kicking Ethan doen't count, huh?"
Anya continued: "Torture. Eternal boredom. Blowing up pe..."
Spike: "I raped and pillaged through half Euro..."
Willow: "Flaying wasn't my real intent. I wanted to let him feel a bullet."
They all looked confused.
Anya: "Ha, a bullet. Like that is real hurt."
Willow (her eyes flared a little darker again:) "If it takes a full day. it can be quite painfull.
It's not going to make a neat little hole. First, it'll obliterate your internal organs. Your lung will collapse. Feels like drowning. When it finally hits your spine, it'll blow your central nervous system... The pain will be unbearable, but you won't be able to move. Bullet usually travels faster than this, of course. But the dying? Ha, ha ... It'll seem like it takes forever. Well, I will make it seem forever." Everybody looks scared. Her eyes turn normal again.
Even Anya looked sickened and scared: "You win, Willow." she stated simply, hands up in defense.
Then Adam looked at Xander. "Listen Xander, I am going to have a long private talk to you under four eyes about dealing with dangerous and evil women bringing back to the good side.
You are even worse that the Boyscout. Way worse. And got the feeling I have only heard a part of it.
In this way you will never reach the age of 25 and you will die in agony."
Then he looked at them all. "You know. In my own experience, redemption takes a long time. A very long time..."
"Ooh. And what did you do. Or better said, in your case, who where you?" Giles asked.
"I was better known as Death of the Four Horsemen."
Everybody looked in huge surprise at him.